Ophthalmology Business

MAY 2013

Ophthalmology Business is focused on business topics relevant to the entrepreneurial ophthalmologist. It offers editorial, opinion, and practical tips for physicians running an ophthalmic practice. It is a companion publication of EyeWorld.

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Page 19 of 22

Recruiting an administrator
for your practice
by Brad Ruden, MBA
R
ecruiting and hiring an administrator for the practice—whether
replacing someone
or recruiting one for the first time—
can be a daunting task. In many
ways, recruiting an administrator
can be more difficult than recruiting
a doctor for the staff, as there are no
residency or fellowship programs
turning out ready-made practice
managers.
Furthermore, the skill set for
each candidate can vary widely
based on experience. Additional
training usually only improves
current skills. It is very difficult to
develop a practice manager from
scratch.
Administrative levels
In my experience, there are three
broad levels of practice managers:
20
• Office manager: This is one
who oversees limited day-to-day
functions of the practice, but the
owners make all major decisions
(financial, hiring, firing, strategic
planning, etc.).
• Administrator: The bulk of practice
managers fall into this category.
They will run the activities of the
practice and make most decisions,
while reporting to the owners for
input/oversight. This level allows
for substantial authority to make
decisions without owner input.
• CEO: Few practice managers are
CEO-types as there are not many
practices run like corporations.
This position is seen in some of
the larger practices in the country.
The CEO typically has autonomy
to run all activities of the business
with the owners acting as a board
of directors.
Ophthalmology Business eZine • May 2013
Define the position
The first step is to determine the skill
set necessary for running the practice as well as define the level of
authority/autonomy the position
will provide.
The most common skill set areas
for a practice administrator are:
• Financial (budgeting, accounting,
etc.)
• HR (hiring, firing, etc.)
• Marketing (promotions, referral
sources, web management, social
media, etc.)
• Contracting (insurance plans,
maintenance agreements, etc.)
• Strategic planning
• Optical dispensary oversight
• ASC management
You may want to identify the
percent of time you anticipate the
administrator will spend on each of
those areas and weigh each category
continued on page 22